The
Miraculous Novena of Grace March 4 -March 12
or
November 25-December 3

HISTORY: The Novena of Grace, which
begins March 4th and ends on the
12th, the day of the canonization of St. Francis Xavier, owes its
origin to the Saint himself. At Naples, in December, 1633, Father
Marcello Mastrilli, S.J. was at the point of death. The Saint appeared
to him and, bidding him renew a vow he had made to labor in Japan,
said:

PROMISE: "All those who implore my
help daily for nine consecutive
days, from the 4th to the 12th of March included, and worthily receive
the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist on one of the nine
days, will experience my protection and may hope with entire assurance
to obtain from God any grace they ask for the good of their souls and
the glory of God."The Father arose, instantly cured.
So well has the Saint kept this
promise that this devotion in his honor became universally known as the
Novena of Grace. Its efficacy is not restricted to the dates mentioned.
It may be made very appropriately from November 25 -December 3, the
Feast of St. Francis Xavier. Though any prayers can be said in honor of
the Saint, the foregoing are generally recommended.

Prayers for the Novena

PRAYER
TO ST. FRANCIS
XAVIER Attributed to Father Marcello
Mastrilli, S.J. (17th century)

O SAINT Francis Xavier, well beloved and full of charity, in union
with thee, I reverently adore the Majesty of God; and since I rejoice
with exceeding joy in the singular gifts of grace bestowed upon thee
during thy life, and thy gifts of glory after death, I give Him hearty
thanks therefore; I beseech thee with all my heart's devotion to be
pleased to obtain for me, by thy effectual intercession, above all
things, the grace of a holy life and a happy death. Moreover, I beg of
thee to obtain for me . . . (here mention the spiritual or temporal
favor to be prayed for). But if what I ask of thee so earnestly doth
not tend to the glory of God and the greater good of my soul, do thou,
I pray, obtain for me what is more profitable to both these ends. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.

If, for any reason, the above prayer cannot be said, it will
suffice to say five times Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be.-----S. C.
Ind., March 23, 1904.

PRAYER
OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER
FOR THE CONVERSION OF INFIDELS

ETERNAL God, Creator of all things, remember that Thou
alone didst
create the souls of infidels, framing them to Thy Own image and
likeness; behold, O Lord! how, to Thy dishonor, Hell is daily
replenished with them. Remember, O Lord! Thy Only Son, Jesus Christ,
Who suffered for them, most bountifully shedding His Precious Blood:
suffer not, O Lord Thy Son and our Lord to be any longer despised by
infidels; but rather, being appeased by the entreaties and prayers of
the elect, the Saints, and of the Church, the most blessed spouse of
Thy Son, vouchsafe to be mindful of Thy mercy, and forgetting their
idolatry and infidelity, cause them also to know Him Whom Thou didst
send, Jesus Christ Thy Son, our Lord, Who is our health, life, and
resurrection, through Whom we are freed and saved, to Whom be all glory
forever.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S HYMN OF LOVE

O GOD, I love Thee for Thyself,
And not that I may Heaven gain,
Nor because
those who
love Thee not,
Must suffer
Hell's eternal pain.

And griefs and torments
numberless,
And sweat of agony;
E'en death itself-----and all
for one
Who was Thine enemy.

Then why, O blessed Jesus
Christ,
Should I not love Thee well:
Not for the sake of winning
Heaven,
Or of escaping Hell;
Not with the hope of gaining aught, not seeking a
reward;
But, as Thyself hast loved
me, O ever-loving Lord?

E'en so I love Thee, and will
love, and in Thy praise
will sing;
Solely because Thou art my
God
And my eternal King. --------From My Prayerbook, by
Fr. Lasance